The Crossings Blog

Co-Missioners, In the seminary days that some of us remember, they called it “practical theology.” This was the curriculum’s how-to section, offering courses in everything that pastors were expected to do: preaching, teaching, counseling, evangelizing, managing a congregation, and the like. Some students thrived in this. Others opted for as few such classes as they could ...

Co-Missioners, Our writer this week is Carol Braun, a former co-editor of Thursday Theology. Carol also served for a while on the Crossing Board. She was featured about a month ago in the first episode of Crossings’ latest film series, “God’s Peace / God’s Justice.” To learn more of who she is and what she does ...

Co-Missioners, We send you to our library this week for another gem that’s hidden there. It’s a quick little piece. Ed Schroeder wrote it in 1975, a year into the high-risk venture called Concordia Seminary in Exile—Seminex, for short, and, soon thereafter, Christ Seminary—Seminex. No wonder that risk is the topic Ed takes up here. He ...

Co-Missioners, Steven Kuhl is our writer this week. He sends along a reflection he prepared for the congregation he serves in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He submitted it under the title “Sing to the Lord: What to do when Times are Tough.” We’ve taken the liberty of replacing that with one more suited to this audience. Before we ...

Co-Missioners, For the third week running we send you thoughts from our editor. Peace and Joy, The Crossings Community Glimpses of Easter: The Eucharist as a Visual Gift “Now we see in a mirror, dimly….” —1 Cor. 13:12 I saw a flash of Easter last Sunday at the congregation I serve. It had been while since the last glimpse—thirteen weeks, to ...

Co-Missioners, Our editor shares some clarification on the item we sent you last week about under-told Gospel and its present consequences. Peace and Joy, The Crossings Community Law or Gospel? A Follow-up to the Post of June 11 A treasured colleague sent me an unhappy note about last week’s post. I wish I could share it. One paragraph in particular ...

Co-Missioners, Our editor speaks his mind today. With fear and trembling, he adds. Peace and Joy, The Crossings Community George Floyd as a Summons to Lutheran Repentance If anyone is in Christ—new creation! The old is gone. Look! Here is the new! —2 Cor. 5:17 On March 23 I started posting a daily devotion on my congregation’s website. This was the ...

Co-missioners, George Floyd is dead. Our cities burn. The nation is awash in wrath, judgment, recrimination and dumbfounded dismay. Against this backdrop, we send you the sermon that Pastor Nathan Hall of the Lutheran Church of the Nativity, North Conway, New Hampshire, delivered to his flock last Sunday, the Feast of Pentecost. It comes to you ...

Co-Missioners, We’ve been hearing about America’s dwindling churches for several years now. The evidence is easy to find. The trends in your own congregation will likely provide some. Or look at your judicatory’s reports to see how any of its churches have dissolved over the past five years. Steve Kuhl serves an Episcopal congregation that is presently ...

Co-Missioners, Today is the Feast of the Ascension, the most underplayed and underappreciated occasion in the entire church year. Or so opines our editor, Jerry Burce, who trolled his files for an argument that the Gospel on this day is as thunderously good as the Gospel can get. What we send you is the better part ...